Red Moon
by Terres De Brume
Summary: Takeru doesn't know his brother as well as he thinks he does...
1. Masaharu

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:** Yes, yes, I know, it's been a long time since the end of the Serie, but I recently stumbled across a wonderful Mimato fanart and… well, it caused me to fall back into this dear fandom x)  
So here I come with a new fanfiction, which I hope will please the few people still haunting this area of ^_________^

**Warning:** Though my English is not this horrible (or at least I hope so) this story is still written by a French girl, and un-beta-ed… so if you find English mistakes despite my proof-readings, please, feel free to point them out, it'll be profitable for everyone :)

Now that we're done with the usual beginning-rant, please enjoy your reading of _Red Moon_ :)

**00 Masaharu.**

"Takashi… oh, hi Miyako-Chan! You're late you know! We're all waiting for you here."

"Especially me!" Mimi yelled near Takeru's ear so as to be heard on the other end of the phone. "I've got a wonderful mascara I want you to try on!"

"Argh, Mimi! Not so close of my ear, I'll go deaf!" Takeru protested. "Anyway, hurry Miyako, or we'll go through the Digigate without you!"

Miyako protested so loudly, even Tai could hear it from where he stood, two meters away from Takeru. As he hung up, the blonde rubbed his right ear, certain he had just lost a lot of his hearing abilities.

It had been more than seven years since the Digidestined had saved the earth and the Digital world for the second time. Now, having returned to their world and country, they were trying to adjust back to their new lives, all the while roaming the country in search of the new other digidestined.  
Now, bound forever by friendship and unforgettable memories, they liked to meet once a month so as to go back to the digital world, where they usually had picnic and collected news from all their other friends… Miyako's being late wasn't a rare thing, far from it, and they all knew they wouldn't leave without her… which didn't prevent them from threatening to do so.

As they were waiting for the lavender-haired girl to reach their former high school's computer room, a loud whine suddenly escaped from Yamato's throat, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

"Yamato!" Mimi exclaimed, catching his shoulder, "is everything alright?"

But the blonde didn't seem to hear her as he crumbled to the floor, still whining. Takeru, who had instantly kneeled by his brother's side, was called away from him as he recognized his mother's ringtone coming from his breast pocket.

"Mom, I really can't talk right now!" he said hurriedly, still watching Yamato, whose hands were tightly clutching his hair, almost to the point of pulling it out. "Yamato for god's sake, what's happening?"

"Dad's dead!"

Takeru's head instantly snapped to his older brother, his mother completely forgotten on the other end of the line. The surprise was so great that he didn't even take time to process with the information he had just been given.

"Yama!" Taichi scolded, "Don't say such things! You're going to scare Take… Takeru? What's happening? Bad news?"

"How did you know?"

Silence fell onto the room as everyone stared at Takeru's blank face and the way his arm hung loosely by his side, all thoughts of the phone completely forgotten.

"Onii-San… how did you know dad was…" Takeru's voice broke as tears found their way to his cheeks. "Dead?"

But Yamato didn't answer. Instead, he lifted his head to the ceiling and howled.

End of Masaharu.

* * *

This chapter is a bit… weird, but I'm experimenting a bit with this new fanfic… so yeah, tell me what you think about it (if someone ever reads this lol)


	2. Wolves

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:** Four reviews is about four more reviews than what I had expected x) Thank you very much for your attention, I hope this fanfic will please you until the end^^  
This chapter is a bit weird as well… but then again, maybe I'll stop pointing when chapters are weird here, or you'll soon get bored x)

**Quick word to the reviewer:**

_Zyanya:_ Ah, yeah, I didn't want to reveal everything right away^^ Answers will come soon, though, but not in this chapter… Except if you're really perceptive *wink*

_Starnet:_ At the very least, it begins on a tragic opening… though I don't think the rest of the fic is going to be much happier x)

_bed of nails and sandpaper:_ Ahah, trouble begins right away, or so it seems x) I'm glad you liked the intro, at any rate^^

_lapin bleu sans pattes:_ Hey! Une connaissance ! Tu as tout à fait le droit de reviewer en français, j'aurais tendance à faire pareil x)  
Je n'ai pas complètement abandonné l'idée d'écrire en Français (j'ai un projet sur Saiyuki dont je ne sais pas encore si je l'écrirais en Français ou pas^^') mais c'est vrai qu'en ce moment, j'écris essentiellement en Anglais… Il faut dire que DeviantART, site sur lequel je publie de plus en plus, est très majoritairement anglophone, et c'est quasi impossible d'avoir un peu de visibilité la bas si tu n'écris pas en anglais… Donc à la fin, on prend l'habitude^^' (Quant au cas particulier de « Problèmes d'Ado », entre autres fics, je m'étais lancée la dedans sans savoir ou j'allais, ni ou l'inspiration m'emmènerait… Et partir dans une fic sur un vague délire privé n'aide pas à la mener à bout^^')  
En tout les cas, merci pour tes encouragements, ils me font chaud au cœur et me motivent à tâcher de mettre à jour régulièrement (Parce que cette fic-ci sera finie, promis !)

**01 Wolves.**

"I'm sorry for you mate." Taichi sighed, a comforting hand resting on Yamato's left shoulder. "I know it's a huge blow for the both of you…" he stole a quick Glance at Takeru, who was still crying in Hikari's neck. "But really, did you have to howl this way? I mean uh…"

Yamato shot a blank look at his friend, his eyes still stunningly intense despite their bloodshot state, and Taichi couldn't help gasping a little at the sight. He would never, ever get used to the blonde's gaze. Even Takeru's eyes, despite their bright blue color, couldn't be half as impressing as his brother's.

"When I felt dad was dead…" Yamato closed his eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. "There was nothing else I could do… he suffered so _much_…"

"But how… how did you k-know that?" Takeru sobbed, sitting beside his older brother, Hikari's hand still in his. "You said it at the exact same time as mom… You weren't supposed to know it and…"

"I don't think Dad has ever told you about wolves, has he?"

"Onii-san, I'm not asking for a fairytale! I want to know how…"

"Please." Yamato cut in with a very serious tone. "Listen to what I have to say. I promise you will get answers from it."

There was a long, tense silence as Takeru's marine blue eyes affronted his brother's turquoise gaze but, in the end, the younger brother sat with a heavy sigh, tears still falling from his eyes.

"Go ahead." He said. "Tell me about your fairytale."

"This is no fairytale." Yamato answered, and there was no tear in his eyes anymore, no more hesitation in his tone. "This is the history of Wolves, and the origins of men."

Yamato straightened, and even Takeru looked at him in surprised awe at the new feeling emitting from him. Sitting in front of them, he looked more present, more volunteer than he had ever been, to the point of overwhelming even Taichi and Daisuke's naturally leading statures. When Yamato finally resumed his speaking, his voice was deep and steady, sounding somewhat like a storm coming up.

"It has all begun when Zeus and the other Gods grew tired of animals…"

_In the beginning, Gods had only created animals, creatures walking on all four, barking and hunting, choosing to remain among themselves for intelligent conversation, and only going down among their creations when they wanted a little action… But there is only so much time before you are tired of seeing the same faces and hearing the same voices every day. And since the Gods were all siblings and/or husbands and wife, they knew each other very well…  
As a result, they soon grew tired of being alone in the world._

_They wanted to have more intelligent creatures. Creatures that would be able to sing, and think and read. Creatures that would be as civilized the day as they would be wild at night. Creatures whose beauty and mysteries would equal those of storm, and stars. Creatures who, like them, would never be able to forget they were bound by blood and memories.  
For millenniums they fought about what shape those creatures should have, for they needed to satisfy all of them. And then, after centuries-long negotiations they, at last, managed to agree on one creature that satisfied them all. Wild and refined, smart and instinctive, powerful and beautiful…  
They had just created the Wolf._

_Wolves, you see, were the ones supposed to rule over the other animals, that's why they were given two bodies. The first one, four legged and covered in fur was meant for the night, to help them hunt and taste all the delights of the wildlife. The second one, furless, standing on two legs and doted of hands, was meant for the daytime, for them to read and write.  
At first, everything went fine. Wolves were loved of the Gods, and loved them in return… Some Gods had a stronger liking for particular kind of wolves. Hephaestus and Apollo loved wolves with red fur, because it reminded them of the sun and fire they both loved. Hades, king of the dead, and Nyx, who rules over night, had a particular liking for black wolves; and finally, Zeus and Athena took a liking for white wolves._

_Each of those three kind of wolves were awarded special powers by their protectors: red wolves controlled fire and light, black wolves became necromens, mastering the art of sparing death and disappearing into the shadows of the night. As for white wolves, they were gifted with wisdom, and the Gods' most powerful weapon: lightning._

"I don't see what does that has to do with you and dad!" Takeru interrupted. "You said you would answer my questions, but you're only giving me a fairytale!"

The young man shot up from his seat and began stomping back and forth from one wall to another, under the surprised and confused stares of their friends… how could Yamato think of telling such rubbish in such a moment? Either he had gone nuts, or he hadn't realized that their father was _dead_ yet!

"Are you done?" Yamato asked, and his eyes seemed bluer than usual when they rested on Takeru's. "I know it is difficult for you to understand for now, but you need to hear the whole story before I can tell you anything else."

When Takeru snorted at him, Yamato frowned, and the air suddenly tensed, as if becoming more… electric. Takeru shivered at the word his mind had just provided, and turned his eyes away from his brother's.

"Now sit down, and listen."

And Takeru couldn't help but obeying his brother's new powerful, thunder-like voice.

"As I said, everything went all right… in the beginning."

End of _Wolves_.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **_Forgetting_. In which Wolves forget something very important.


	3. Forgetting

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:** Wooot! Quick update! I don't know if it'll go on this way until the end, but since there are so few people still reading in this section of FF dot net, I don't see the point in making you wait when I'm ready to post, right?  
Anyway, thanks a lot for reading, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the two previous ones^^

**Quick word to the reviewer:**

_Starnet:_ The answer to your suspicions will not be found in this chapter, but in next one x)  
And yeah, I'll do just that^^ I admit that sometimes I like to wait until I get a certain amount or reviews before posting a chapter, but here I'm afraid of waiting because if I take too long a pause from this fanfic, I don't know if I'll finish it someday ^^'  
So yeah, chapters will be updated as fast as I write them x)

Zyanya: Ah, the fairytale has its importance, you'll see (just as Takeru will see it as well^^)  
And yes, blue eyes have something to do with it, at some extent… watch out for new evidences in this chapter *wink*

**02 Forgetting.**

_Yes, at first, things went all right between wolves and Gods. Those who had been gifted special powers due to their fur's color were respected as the God's favorites, their advice was often thought, and no wolf would have dared to disobey their orders._

_But with their hands, wolves had also been given technologies, and the mean to hide their tail and ears when under their two legged form. They quickly progressed in mastering the technical arts, forgetting that all they had was a gift of the Gods, forgetting that, weren't it for the Gods, they wouldn't even have existed in the first place. It eventually came to a point in time when some of the wolves began to forget they had been wolves. They began to fear the night and its darkness, spending most –if not the entirety- of their time under their two legged form…  
Those renegade, forgetful of their origins were renamed the Lost Creatures. In wolf language, it is pronounced "Humans"._

"Are you trying to tell me Humans are really wolves?" Koushiro snorted. "But it's totally impossible, history and studies…"

"Are made by humans." Yamato snapped. "And therefore have forgotten where they came from. Now, if you will _please_ let me finish my story..."

Koushiro nodded at his friend's stern tone, and Takeru felt Taichi bend toward him to whisper in his ear:

"Is it me, or did you brother's hair just shine with static electricity?"

_In the end, ordinary wolves became split into three clans: the Humans, the lost ones, who had forgotten about their own tails and ears, and the Wild ones, who had chosen to forget their legs and hand, forget about writing and reading and crafting… and then, stuck between the two, were Wolves, those of them who remained as the Gods had mean them to be, shifting between their two forms whenever they wanted.  
But Humans didn't like that, they didn't like that there were more powerful than them. So they started to call wolves only the Wild ones, and the real Wolves became demons in their minds… they began chasing them, killing them whenever they had the chance… Red, white and black wolves ceased to be respected and became fearsome creatures, despised and hunt by all, humans and wild ones alike... having an unusual fur color finally became a curse, more than the blessing it used to be._

"What did Wolves do then?" Davis asked when Yamato paused in his sentence. "If they were chased from everywhere, what did they do?"

"They fled." Was Yamato's answer.

_After centuries of living in fear and hiding away from Men and Wild, Wolves came to the Gods who had created them, and begged for their help. Gods weren't in a very good position either: since humans had rebelled against them and their faith had created this new all-powerful God, they had been set aside, condemned to hide and pretend they didn't exist. It wasn't long before they agreed to help Wolves. Together, Gods and Wolves opened a gate toward a new world, free of any intelligent being, and they left this world forever. Humans soon forgot that Wolves had been real, and their memories got distorted, transformed into monsters who killed only during full moon nights._

_What neither the Gods, nor their protégés had anticipated, was that a trap had been set against them. A Wolf called Mandrake had gathered a pack so big it had become a real army… fights lasted for days and days on end but in the end, even the Gods and their Wolves' combined power couldn't defeat Mandrake and his army.  
The gods were imprisoned at the top of a mountain called Hole Peak.  
Black, white and red wolves were declared abnormal, lesser wolves, and were forced into becoming the other Wolves' domestics… except for three of them._

_The three leaders of the God's defense were immediately sentenced to death with all their descent. Fortunately, they managed to escape by coming back in this world… Time flows differently here, and what had lasted only for a few years in the Wolves' world had counted centuries in this world… when the three Great Ones came back –and they landed in Japan- world war two was raging, and no one paid attention to them when they merged among Hiroshima refugees.  
Their heirs still live among us nowadays, perpetrating the memory of their fathers, keeping their secrets safe and yet growing their families so that one day, the flame born of the union of snow and soot can shine without fear._

End of _Wolves_.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **_Secrets_. In which Takeru finally understands why the story of the Wolves and Gods concerns him.


	4. Secrets

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:**

**Quick word to the reviewer:**

_Starnet:_ Well… Not really like Superman x) But on the whole, you're right^^

_Zyanya:_ Hehe, I wasn't planning on keeping everything secret for very much longer anyway^^ I hope you'll like this chapter^^

**03 Secrets.**

"The flame born of the union of snow and snoot?" Daisuke frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means that a black wolf and a white one will mate and have a pup with red fur." Yamato stated. "You see, Howl's line has almost run out by now… I don't think there's more than two of her descendents still alive… I suppose this prophecy means to say that she will soon reincarnate into this little pup. It has been said that, had the fight turned to the God's advantage, she would have ruled over the world of wolves… if this prophecy proves true, then it is very likely that Howl's reincarnation will become someone very important in the wolves' hierarchy."

"And what about snow and snoot?" The young brunet asked again. "What are their roles?"

"Mostly…" Yamato seemed to hesitate, and stole a quick glance at the window where Mimi was standing, distractedly playing with one of her pink strand of hair. "They're… supposed to have a baby."

There was something weird in the way Yamato had said that, that made Daisuke's frown deepen. He was about to ask a new question, but Takeru didn't let him time enough to do so: with a violence he would never have thought he possessed, he extended his arm and slapped Yamato right in the face.  
But the older blonde didn't even flinch, and received the full blow of the strike without so much as an eye bat. However, when Takeru's hand raised anew, ready to slap again, he seized his brother's wrist and prevented it from moving further.

"Do not slap me, Takeru."

"So the big bad rocker is angry eh?" Takeru snorted. "One cannot touch you pretty face, you're too high for this! Too high for crying even when our _father_ is _dead_! Too high to abandon telling the little fairytale you had programmed to tell tonight, eh? You selfish bas…"

"TAKERU TAKASHI!" Yamato interrupted, his voice rolling like thunder, his frown so deep that his eyes seemed to darken. "DON'T YOU PRONOUNCE THAT WORD IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO GET _REALLY MAD_ AT YOU!"

Takeru's face instantly fell, and he backed away several steps before he bumped into Taichi's chest, and Hikari's fearful hand imprisoned his own.

"As I told you before, this is _no _fairytale." Yamato extended his arms toward the window and a lightning bolt flashed through the opening before striking a tree's trunk. "This is history."

There was a long and tense silence as everyone in the room tried to proceed with what they had just seen, but Yamato eventually sighed and spoke again.

"The white wolf who led his people in their fight for the Gods was named Hatori Ishida. He was my great grandfather."

"He…" Takeru began, "He was our…"

"No, not ours. He was only mine." Yamato sighed again, slumping back into his chair. "After I was born, Mom had baby blues, and she couldn't understand why I was so wild a baby… Dad has never told her about wolves, you see. Besides, he wasn't really this talented a talker, as you know… Dissensions between them grew worse, and it eventually came to the point when Mom had an affair and got pregnant. Pregnant with you." He paused again and, as Takeru was about to talk, he interrupted him: "please, let me tell you the whole story, and I promise I will answer your questions next. When her lover heard she had gotten pregnant with him, he fled immediately. I knew it, because I couldn't smell his cologne on her anymore, and she smelled of despair and shame. Dad knew it, too. I had asked him about it, but he told me I should never, ever tell Mom that I knew. I don't think _he _ever told her anything either."

"But… why?" Takeru croaked, sobs making his voice hoarse.

"Because he loved mom. Wolves mate for life, and the fact that they can't keep their human lovers doesn't mean that they don't love them anymore. I remember when you were born, I almost broke the whole story to mom, because I said you smelled so weird… It was the first time I smelled of human without anything over it, perfume or anything like that, and I didn't really understand yet, that she _couldn't_ smell it. Afterwards, there was a period of happiness: dad has always considered you as his son, no matter what circumstances led to your birth… for a few years, we were really happy, all the four of us… but I was growing up, and the time of my first change would soon be there, and…"

"S-so…" Taichi asked timidly, "it's… it's true that werewolves…"

"I am no werewolf, Tai." Yamato sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I am a Wolf. Yes, in our youngest years, we are submitted to the power of the moon, because the Gods wanted it to be so. However, as time passes, we can free ourselves from its influence. I can change whenever I want to, now."

"Prove it." Was Koushiro's septic answer.

Yamato sighed and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, his pupils looked bluer than ever, and they took all the space in his eyes, which gave an odd impression of someone both blind and gifted with a terribly good eyesight. He closed his eyes again, and this time, as he opened his eyelids, his normal, round ears were replaced with pointed ears covered in a thin white fur. They were implemented farther up on his skull, and they could obviously move the exact same way as any animal's ear could. Lastly, Yamato's left hand dove in the back of his pants. Takeru faintly noticed Mimi's hand moving forward and her lips part slightly, as though she wanted to speak, but she seemed to restrain herself and remained silent.

"There." Yamato sighed as he pulled a white fluffy tail out of his trousers, "that's about all I can show you right now. Technically, I can transform fully, but it tears my clothes off, and I don't really feel like undressing in front of all of you."

"It's… real…" Takeru breathed.

Yamato nodded gravely, and his gaze rand over the room and his fellow digidestined.

"I have never told you about that because I didn't have the right too. You weren't even supposed to know it, especially since I hadn't changed yet when we went to the Digiworld… I couldn't even produce sparkles back then…" he sighed deeply, and looked straight into Takeru's eyes. "Mom must never, _ever know._ Not under any circumstances. Never."

"But… why?" Takeru asked.

"Because," Mimi answered even before Yamato could open his mouth, "if White wolves –to which he belongs, judging from his ears- are so despised and wolves can still come to this world, the less person know about his real nature, the better. It lessens the chance of being found." She paused for a while and then, as in second thought, she turned to Yamato: "Am I right?"

"Perfectly."

And Takeru couldn't help but notice that, though Yamato's voice was calm and posed, there was an intensity in his eyes when he spoke to Mimi that wasn't usually here.

End of _Secrets_.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **_Yamato_. In which Taichi makes an unfortunate choice of words, and Yamato doesn't think before he answers.


	5. Yamato

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:**

**Quick word to the reviewer:**

_Ninor-San:_ Hehe, I'm glad you like it, really^^

_Zyanya:_ Ah, well, I suppose when one hears "Half Wolf", one is bound to understand "Werewolf" at first, and Taichi is no exception^^  
And you said you saw hints of what? Oh, I really don't see what you're talking about x)

**04 Yamato.**

"Motomiya Daisuke! Give me back my hat, NOW!"

Daisuke only laughed and ran away from Takeru, who quickly took after him. He wouldn't have believed he could do this. To chase after his friend, to laugh and play, only three days after….  
Takeru slowly came to a halt. Maybe he wasn't really ready, after all.

He left Daisuke to his joyful sprint and walked toward Hikari who, lying on her white towel, was absent-mindedly stroking Gatomon's fur. He silently sat next to her and welcomed Patamon in his laps, tears painfully clenching at his throat.  
Normally, Takeru would have gone to Yamato for a bit of comfort. He may be nineteen now, it didn't prevent him from needing someone older and stronger than he was when something so terribly wrong happened in his life.

But ever since Yamato had told them about his secret, three days earlier, he hadn't spoken much to them.  
Takeru could understand, or at least he could try to. Yamato had had to let go of his father, let go of the place he had always lived in to move in at Takeru and his mother's… he had had to sign so many papers, and call so many people so register his change of address, resign old insurances, create new files, close their… his father's bank accounts… Yes, Takeru could try to understand.

And yet, he couldn't help but feel worried at the way his brother acted.  
Now that he didn't need to conceal his true nature, Takeru had started to notice how his brother was different from the other people he knew. The first night Yamato had slept in the same room as his little brother –there wasn't any other part of the flat he could have safely slept into, since he said he usually woke up with his ears and tail out- he had spent half of the night sniffing and scraping around, trying to get accustomed to this new human-scented place.  
He was particularly grumpy on the morning, growling and grunting instead of speaking, often fishing for a sausage in the fridge rather than the _natto_ and toasts their mother prepared for them before going to work.  
He smelled strongly of animal. It was only logical, of course, but Takeru had still been surprised when he had walked back in his bedroom and had felt the urge of opening the window because of the musky scent.

More than anything else, though, Takeru had noticed a great change in his brother's presence.  
Before they knew anything about what he really was, Yamato had already been someone you noticed, even when he was silent, even though he could make himself be forgotten when he needed or wanted to. However, never had he been able to counterbalance Taichi or Daisuke's loud and confident beings. Yet, for three days, all the group had felt his presence increase, overwhelming them, enveloping them like a strange shield, something incredibly powerful and yet extremely caring, filled not only with love and trust, but also with an odd sense of duty.  
When Takeru had asked him about it, Yamato had said it was the magic. He had said he had hidden it before but, now that he let it out freely, humans couldn't help but notice it. Because they had been wolves once.

Takeru had taken a while to understand why his brother had taken to watch over them from sort of heights whenever he could. The answer had come to him while watching a TV broadcasting about wolves late at night, while waiting for his brother to come back from a nightly walk.  
When a wolf lived in a group of other wolves, it formed a pack, in which everyone had his role and duty: to hunt, to protect, to bear the pups. Yamato, being the only wolf of their group, had instinctively taken upon himself to be their alpha male, and so he deemed it his duty to watch over them.  
Thing was, even though Takeru could understand where this new habit had come from –or rather, why it had been revealed to them now- he found it a bit hard to accept, especially since he didn't see what could happen to them. They were in the Digital World, after all! No Wolf would look for them here, and they already knew how to fight off nasty Digimons by themselves.  
And even when they were in the human world, Tokyo was so big a city! Surely it was impossible for someone who didn't know their world and habits to find a single young man among so many people, right?

Nevertheless, Yamato didn't really share their carelessness –but had he ever shared it fully?  
He spent his time on the side of their group, allowing only Takeru near him. Takeru, Taichi, Gabumon and, strangely enough, Mimi as well.

Sometimes, he would walk of and disappear for a while, leaving them on their own.  
As he prepared to do so again, obviously caught deep in his thought, Taichi noticed him and exclaimed:

"For God's sake Yamato, why are you leaving _again_? Ever since I've known you, you've never been able to attend any kind of party or meeting without walking off at one point… Shit man, why are you such a lone wolf?"

"Well, my fur is white, which means that I was a protégé of Zeus', and therefore very likely to try and free him –not something the other Wolves want me to do. Besides, I have powers that reach far beyond what any ordinary wolf can hope to do in their wildest dreams, and my great grandfather was one of the three leaders of the God's army during the great war… if other wolves found me, they would not only kill me, but they'd also try and get rid of my whole pack, which you are standing in for, since I didn't know any other wolf besides Dad. So, see? No one in their right mind would want of me in their pack."

There was a long silence as Takeru tried to understand fully what his brother's word had implied –including the fact that someone might want to kill the whole lot of them- before Yamato finally noticed their surprised stares and raised his left ears –he didn't hide them anymore when they were out of human sight.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I suppose you expected me to understand this the metaphorical way?"

Takeru nodded distractedly, and, as Yamato walked off, he noticed that out of all the digidestined, only Mimi didn't look _this_ surprised.

End of _Yamato_.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **_Mimi_. In which someone seems to spend more and more time at Takeru and Yamato's place.


	6. Mimi

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:** Yes, I do realize that it's been a while since I last updated this Fanfiction. It's not that I have abandoned it, far from it, but I've been a bit busy both On and Off line these days, and I didn't really have (or take) the time necessary to finish this chapter. Plus, I had to re-think it before writing it, for some of the things I had originally planned to reveal in this chapter couldn't be said yet –not if I was to keep Takeru's POV for this story. Besides, telling you those things right away would have ruined all suspense… So you'll have to wait before you know what Mimi & Yamato were talking about^^

**No answering to Reviews here, since there was none to begin with x)**

**05 Mimi.**

"Oh! Hi Mimi… how are you?"

"Fine, thank you Miss Takashi… Is Yamato home?"

"Yes of course! He's in his room, I'll go and get him… I hope he'll agree on seeing someone though, he's been quite closed up after his father died… I mean, more than usual."

Natsuko Takashi directed Mimi to the living room, where Takeru was sitting, before heading for Yamato's bedroom.

"Hi Mimi!" Takeru greeted. "How are you?"

"Oh, fine!" The older girl smiled weakly. "Say, when your mother says Yamato's been more closed up than usual, is it…"

"Because he's trying to conceal his nature." Takeru cut-in. "Three days a month locked up in his room really is a bit strange, though."

"Ah well, white wolves aren't very socials, seeing as everyone wants to kill them and all… uh, I guess."

Takeru frowned at her last words, noticing –not for the first time- that her incertitude concerning Yamato's nature, or the way Wolves thought, always seemed to come as an afterthought of hers. It wasn't that Takeru had any problem with her doing suppositions concerning how life worked for a Wolf –all the Digidestined tried to imagine it- but the young man didn't like that she seemed so certain about it, as though she knew all of it already. This was something that unnerved him.

"'M here Meems." Yamato grunted as he came out of the bedroom. "Want some coffee?"

Mimi agreed, oblivious to Takeru's frown of distaste –opposite to his brother and father, he had never liked coffee, sticking for the traditional tea instead.  
The bearer of hope vaguely waved at Mimi as she walked away with Yamato, and set his attention back on the TV where his favorite anime was being displayed. However, he soon realized that he wasn't really able to like it anymore. Though _Wolf's Rain_ had been his favorite series for years, he couldn't help thinking about how different it was from the Wolves he was beginning to get acquainted to. He knew, now, that what real Wolves felt toward humans wasn't so much caution -or hatred- as despise. Each time Yamato pronounced the word "humans" he sounded as though he were spiting an old chewing gum out rather than actually naming a species he was half part of.  
Takeru turned the TV off and decided to go and pour himself some tea. As he made his way to the kitchen, though, he was stopped by his brother's voice.

"…think I wouldn't smell it?" Yamato finished in an ironic tone.

"Of course not." Mimi's voice replied calmly. "Just thought I'd let you know. Seeing as we've been friends and all."

"You want to let me know, but you're not refusing to obey your orders, are you?"

Takeru frowned at those words, trying to understand what it was that his brother and Mimi were discussing. What was it that Yamato had smelled? And what did Mimi want him to know? What orders had she received?

"You know I can't disobey. That's the way it works."

"Yeah, I know, you're…"

"Takeru?" Natsuko called from the living room, "I'm off to do some shopping… do you want to come along?" She chuckled and whispered: "that'll live your brother more room to try and seduce this young girl!"

"I… have homework to do." Takeru lied. "But I'll be in my room and leave them alone." He whispered.

"Okay. Good luck with your homework then!"

Natsuko smiled and waved as she made her way toward the door. Takeru made a show of going to his room and scratching his head, until he heard the distinctive click of the front door. Then, making as little noise as possible, he crept back to the kitchen door, which was still closed.

"…don't do that." Mimi's voice was speaking. "That's against the rules."

"Well, aren't rules made to be broken?" Yamato replied –and Takeru could hear the smirk in his voice.

"You can't break rules like this." Mimi sighed.

"Wanna bet?"

There was a long, tense silence in the kitchen, and Takeru decided to go back to the living room, where he set the TV back on, still frowning. Judging by the closed door, this conversation should have remained private and, consequently, he was certainly not going to ask his brother about it… and yet, Takeru couldn't help but wonder what it was the two others had been discussing. It must have had to do with Yamato's being a Wolf –otherwise the subject of smell wouldn't have come up- but other than that, there was no indication as to what they had been speaking about.

He almost didn't notice it when Yamato signaled that Mimi and he were going out for a walk, only waving them off with a grunt. It was only a while later that the thought occurred to him that, maybe, Yamato and Mimi were becoming more than simple friends.

End of _Mimi_.

**Next Chapter: **_Takeru_. In which Yamato can't resist a midnight walk during a full moon night.


	7. Takeru

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:** So what I felt would happen sooner or later finally happened: I have no reader anymore for this Fanfic x) Ah, well, it only means that I'll be able to take as much time as I want or need to finish this story^^

**06. Takeru**

"Yamato? Are you all right?" Natsuko asked. "You look terribly tired!"

"I'm alright mom." Yamato mumbled, pushing aside the last of his cabbages. "Really."

"Why don't you eat your veggies?" his mother repeated. "You used to love cabbages!"

"I used to love the stories Dad gave me so that I'd eat it." Yamato corrected, looking through the window. "I hate veggies."

"Well, I know you've always been more of a meat lover, but still, you shouldn't be putting veggies out of you meals."

"Veggies give me cramps." Yamato protested. "I hate it. Not to mention that some of them actually cause me to throw up."

"Don't be silly Yamato, or I will start to believe that you have become anorexic!" Natsuko scolded. "Look at how skinny you are! I knew your father wasn't the best parent in the world but…"

"DAD WAS THE BEST FATHER I COULD HAVE DREAMED TO HAVE!" Yamato howled as he sprang up from the table. "And the fact that he didn't share your stupid principles about one vegetable a day doesn't mean that he raised me badly!"

"Yamato…"

"NO! I'm sick and tired of your constant peaks against him! Ever since the two of you divorced, I could never spend a day with you without your trying to despise him in front of me! Stop it!"

"But, Yamato…"

"No buts!" Yamato growled as he brought his face closer to his mother's, teeth barred in a snarl of discontent, his hair almost shining with static electricity. "You have no idea what he went through to bring me up on his own, so stop attacking him whenever you can if you don't want me to stop speaking to you at all!"

And with those words, Yamato stomped off to his bedroom, leaving Takeru alone with their mother. Natsuko heaved a tired sigh, tried to speak and, seeing as she couldn't determine what she wanted to say first, she simply left to her room with a curt goodnight.

Takeru cleared the table, waiting for his mother's light to go off before he went to Yamato's bedroom. Natsuko only went off to sleep around midnight, which put Takeru's nerves to torture. When at last she laid her book down, Takeru crept to his brother's room. As he expected, he found Yamato in his wolf form, lying on his bed, his eyes closed and his head resting on his paws.

"Do you realize what you're putting her through? What you're putting _me _through? I mean, I know it's not easy for you to have lost dad –it's not easy for me either. But you can't go on passing your nerves on us! We're not your punching balls!"

Yamato growled and grunted before he rolled on his side, transforming at the same time. He faced his little brother sleepily, and Takeru couldn't help but gasp at his eyes, which still retained the shape of a wolf's.

"Sorry." Yamato mumbled. "It's this shitty situation. It's killing me. I'm a being of air for fuck's sake! I can't stand being trapped like that."

"You're not…"

"Yes I am. I know you don't mean to trap me, and mum doesn't either… but it's eating me. With dad, I could _at least_ speak with someone, or fight when I needed to let out some tension… but now I can't anymore. It's been more than a month since Dad's dead, and I haven't been able to hunt a single rabbit since then!"

Yamato growled, frustrated beyond reason, and buried his face in his hand. Takeru contemplated his brother for a while before he finally dared to speak.

"Would it help if I took you out for a walk?"

"Uh?"

"Yeah you could… I don't know, pretend to be my dog. We'd go to the park and you could hunt for an hour or two. Would it help?"

"…yes." Yamato finally answered. "Yes, it would help, I think."

"Good." Takeru smiled. "I'll leave a note for mum, in case she wakes up, and then we're off."

Merely a quarter of an hour later, the two young men had reached the park and they were walking along the path. Yamato, in his wolf form, didn't gather much attention, mainly because there was almost no one besides themselves in the park at that late hour.

Takeru couldn't help but smile at his brother's swinging tail, and the way he fled from one bush to another, running after the few rabbits and squirrels living there. Though his face was now that of a wolf and therefore unreadable, there was something in his behavior, in the swinging of his tail that indicated beyond doubt that he was happy.

But then, a black form jumped on him out of the blue, and the two of them rolled down a light slope, growling and barking. Takeru followed them, but he didn't dare stand between the two animals: he knew Yamato would protect him, no matter what, but what if he couldn't stop his opponent before he bit him?

The other dog was entirely black, with the exception of a grey spot on its chest. It was slightly smaller than Yamato, but still big for a dog, and particularly vicious: obviously, it took all the wolf's attention not to get bitten as they jumped at one another, going for the other's throat.

When the black dog seized Yamato's neck, Takeru shouted and, without thinking, his kick flew to the dog's head. It caused it enough pain so that Yamato could shake it off and bit his snout, leaving a vivid red mark where the fangs had torn in the flesh. There was a flash of thunder incredibly close to them, and the black dog ran away, heavily limping.

The next day, when Yamato and Takeru woke up to meet their friends in the digiworld, they were very careful not to wake their mother, for if she saw the fresh scars on Yamato's neck and arms, she would start asking questions, something they really didn't need her to do.

They met the other Digidestined around nine, near the lake where they had first met seadramon during their first journey. Taichi was the first to notice Yamato's wounds, and he began fussing about it, until Yamato practically barked him off.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. It'll be gone before the month is over. It takes more than an angry dog to get me off."

What really shocked the group, though, was Mimi's appearance. When she joined them, she bore a long, thin scar across her sweet face, and her left arm was wrapped in a scarf so as to prevent it from moving.

When Takeru and the others questioned her about it, she dismissed their concern, saying she had fallen and spread her wrist, but it didn't explain her scar on the face, and Takeru couldn't hlp being troubled. It went from her right eye to the tip of her nose, just as the wound Yamato had given the black dog of the previous night. Her injured arm was also the same as the dog's leg: the limping had been at his left front leg.

And most of all, more intriguing than anything else, there was the look of immediate and total mutual understanding she shared with Yamato.

End of _Takeru_.

**Next Chapter: **_Friends_. In which things go bad.


	8. Friends

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way the owner of the Digidestined and/or their Digital partner. They all belong to Toei animation and whoever else participated in their creation.

**Author's Note:** …

**07. Friends**

"Now wait a minute you two… you're going to _what_?"

"Get married." Mimi smiled softly, as if speaking to a particularly naïve and slow child. "You know, wedding rings, red kimonos and all that."

"I _know_ what a wedding is, thank you! But I mean… why? And when?"

"As soon as possible." Yamato answered. "We're thinking a week, at the very most. I don't even know if we'll have this much time."

There was a long, tense silence as the various Digidestined tried to understand what their friend had just told them. Of course, most of them had noticed the changes of attitude between their two friends, and the fact that they had gotten together was not really surprising in itself, but they still hadn't been prepared to hear them announce their upcoming wedding. And besides, as Taichi quickly remarked, why would they be in such a hurry? Why would they need to get married so soon instead of waiting and planning it correctly?

"Uh…" Mimi hesitated and stole a quick glance toward Yamato. "Well, let's just say my family won't be really happy about that, so it's best if we're married before they can interfere or…."

"Or what?" Sora asked. "Interfere or what?"

"Or force her to abort."

Everyone started to shout in surprise at Yamato's answer: Mimi? Pregnant? And with _him_! Now _that_ was something they would _never_ have expected, what with the two of them being so different from each other… they were almost complete opposite!

"And how long have you been pregnant anyway?" Miyako asked in disbelief.

"Two days. Maybe three." Mimi answered. "Though Yamato was the one to smell it. I've never been that good with…."

Mimi stopped in mid-sentence when Yamato's hears abruptly raised, a worried frown appearing on his brow and his head snapping to the left. Mimi tensed as well, and as everyone was busy determining what had her and her fiancé so nervous, it was a few seconds before Ken's voice rose in the air:

"You have black hears!"

"No time for this." Yamato growled before Mimi had any chance to answer, his gaze never wavering. "Run."

Mimi shot to her feet, dragging Hikari along with her, but no one else moved. The pink haired girl tugged on Taichi's arms urgently, and something in her worried expression compelled him not to resist.

"Come on guys." She hushed. "We don't have much time… we need to be quick and silent."

"Go to the school." Yamato told her as he rose, muscles ready for effort and fingers crackling with electricity. "Take them to the Digiworld and then get the parents. Quick."

"Yamato, what are you talking about?" Takeru asked, resisting Mimi's tugging at his arm. "What are you…."

"Takeru, there's no time for explanations, _run_!"

Even as Yamato finished his world, three black wolves shot out from the nearby bushes. They were bigger than ordinary wolves, almost the size of tigers, and their fur was so dark it seemed to suck the light out of the otherwise sunny park. One of them brushed past Takeru, and he almost felt every hair rise on his body in instinctive terror. As Mimi dragged him away and forced him to break into a race, Takeru heard Yamato howl and then charge as the fight began, lightning flying around them and striking tree trunks, causing them to explode at their heads.

Mimi forcefully dragged Takeru out of the park, hurrying their friends toward their old school, where their adventures had all begun. They crossed the schoolyard and followed her through the backdoor, toward the computer room.

"It's weekend!" Koushiro yelled. "The room's locked, and we don't have the key!"

"No need for keys when you can use your head!"

Before Koushiro could retort, Mimi leaped forward and, in the blink of an eye, she was replaced by a big-as-a-tiger ink-black wolf who threw herself on the door so violently that it burst open, banging on the door with a terrifying gun-like sound.

"To the digiworld, quick!"

"Yeah," Taichi approved, "get the Digimons and then we go back for Matt!"

"No!" Mimi interjected. "We have to get our parents first. When we get there, you'll have to get back to your homes and bring you parents in the Digiworld, we'll meet at Puppetmon's old house."

"But Yamato…."

"Yamato can hold his ground alone Daisuke, believe me! If they didn't pick his track until now, then he will join us, but for now he can't come back, he's trying to buy us some time."

"I don't understand," Iori protested, "with the Digimons we could…."

"Digimons can't hold their ground against Wolves!" Mimi growled, her fangs shining under her canine lips. "Believe me, I know what I'm speaking about. Come on guys, we don't have much time! If you don't get your parents back soon, you may as well send them to their death! I promise Matt and I'll explain everything later, but for now we need to get our parents back!"

Takeru saw his friends paling several shades at a time and the room suddenly fell quiet. For the first time, all of them truly realized that Mimi really _was _a wolf, too. Of course, her transformation had by no means gone unnoticed –nor had the fight in the park, judging by the agitation of the nearby streets- but what made them truly understand was that feeling, that aura she exuded, the same powerful, overwhelming shiver they felt from head to toe each time she breathed.

Silence went on a few more second before she barked, and Daisuke opened the digigate, signifying to the group that it was now a good time to panic.

Takeru insisted on going third only, right behind Iori and Hikari, but as soon as he was in the digiworld, he wasted no time to set himself into action and immediately began running toward the closest next terminal. Going in and out of the Digiworld had its rule, and as long as a tower was set into "enter" mode, then it couldn't be used to go out of the Digiworld. All the same, he couldn't change the destination setting before he was certain nobody was being transferred to the human world: he had to get to a clear tower as soon as possible. Luckily, Patamon wasn't veryf far from Seadramon's lake, where they had arrived, and it was barely a minute before Takeru was on his back and they were flying toward a new tower.  
Takeru opened the passage to his computer from a distance, and Pegasumon and him practically flew through the gate, crashing against the wall of Takeru's bedroom in a painful heap of limbs and hooves.

Unsurprisingly, Natsuko irrupted into the room in not time, a frying pan in hand and panic written all over her face. She almost fainted when she saw Pegasumon getting to his hooves in a careful way, but Takeru didn't have time for explanations yet, so he simply grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the computer screen. He wasn't sure he really heard the front door crashing before he went through the portal after his mother.

"Is everyone safe?" Takeru yelled as Pegasumon brought him and his mother to Pupetmon's clearing.

"Mimi isn't back yet!" Hikari informed him with an anxious tone. "Koushiro's trying to log in her computer, but all we can see is a building in flame, we haven't got any sound yet!"

Just as the brunet finished her sentence, a shrill yelp rang through the clearing, and everyone turned toward the tower video screen, squinting to see past the fumes and flames. Takeru managed to make out two darker silhouettes, four legged and way too big to be mistaken for dogs. At first he didn't understand what they said, but as the smaller wolf got closer, he recognized Mimi's voice, as well as her father's.

"Come on Dad, they can't come there, they won't be able to catch us."

"You go there, I'm staying."

"But, Father I…."

"Mimi, your mother is dead already, and they're looking for two of us, not three… if I stay, you may be able to outrun them, so go!"

"But if you stay…."

"You know the prophecy Mimi, you still have a role to play in its unfolding but my part is over now. Go!"

Mimi tried to protest again, but her father barked her away, and she was forced to jump through the digigate. Just as she joined the other Digidestined in the digiwood, Yamato appeared in his wolf form, his fur covered in dust and blood, heavily panting and tongue hanging low from his mouth. He limped toward Mimi and rested his shoulder against hers, seeking comfort from the touch of her flesh.  
There was a long silence, until the two wolves, who had just taken to lay down on the ground, noticed their friends' interrogative stares.

"Remember the prophecy?" Yamato asked. "About the flame born of the union of snow and snoot?"

"Uh… yeah." Taichi tentatively answered. "Why?"

"Well," Mimi said, that's us. Yamato is snow, and I'm snoot. Which makes our child the one who will put the Gods' imprisonment to an end, something normal wolves don't want to see because it would take all their privileges away from them."

"Now wait a minute," Koushiro interrupted, "you mean those wolves earlier in the park were sent in order to kill us?"

"Technically, Yamato panted, "they were here for _us_. Mimi, the baby and me. You were just casualties of war."

"But we don't have anything to do with this!" Sora protested. "Why do they include us in this story?"

"Because they don't care about humans." Mimi explained. "Haven't you noticed how Yamato spoke the word? It's not just him. It's me, too. We, wolves, have never been very fond of humans, because they were traitors. It's been passed onto us ever since the old times, and we couldn't get rid of it even if we wanted to."

"Honestly," Yamato admitted, "Human race in itself doesn't interest me. I don't care about humans in general. But I care about people, I care about mothers and babies, about brothers and sisters, I care about you. I won't let those wolves ruins millions of lives just so they could get us. I will do anything I can to protect you."

"Yes, but not before your son is born."

Yamato gave her a sad, bitter smile, and Takeru felt his heart clench painfully.

End of _Friends_.

**Next Chapter: **_Howl_. In which there is a new arrival in the family.


End file.
